I was in a sacrament meeting recently where a new convert to the church was blessing the sacrament. As he knelt down to say the sacrament prayer for the first time, I thought, "Please, let this go well." he went through the prayer the first time and didn't make it. My heart went out to him, and I felt so sorry for him. He tried a second time and didn't get through it. The third time, however, to his credit, he got through every word absolutely perfectly.
the thought crossed my mind that there are a few gospel ordinances that have to be done perfectly -- temple ordinances, baptism, and sacrament prayers. i realized that doing these ordinances perfectly isn't to make it difficult or embarrassing for people. Heavenly Father is trying to teach us that we can make a mistake and it will still be possible for us to do it over again -- as many time as we need to until we get it right. And in the end, Heavenly Father has promised us everything that He has, if we're obedient to His commandments. It's never too late for anyone to start over and figuratively repeat that sacrament prayer until we get it just right.
("5 Critical Decisions" by Gary Crittenden. Marriott Alumni Magazine, Summer 2008, page 4)
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